Apparatus for actuating a result unit of a calculating machine,and the like,each time when the apparatus is operated



June'25. 1968 F. w. RUYS 3,389,856

APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING A RESULT UNIT OF A CALCULATING MACHINE, AND THE LIKE EACH TIME WHEN THE APPARATUS IS OPERATED Filed Feb. 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lllllllllllllll INVENTOR. 00w; Mus/w guy;

AWN 5% June 25. 1968 F. w. RUYS 3,389,856

APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING A RESULT UNIT OF A CALCULATING MACHINE, AND THE LIKE. EACH TIME WHEN THE APPARATUS IS OPERATED Filed Feb. 13, 1.967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FRMIJ Wit-LEM a y;

MmWEyJ United States Patent Patented June 25, 1968 3,389,856 APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING A RESULT UNIT .OF A CALCULATING MACHINE, AND THE LIKE, EACH TIME WHEN THE APPARATUS IS OPERATED Frans Willem Ruys, Utrechtsweg 19, De Bilt, Netherlands Filed Feb. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 615,826 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Feb. 17, 1966, 6602050; May 18, 1966, 6606837 14 Claims. (Cl. 23562) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Key-operated calculating or adding machine in which the successive depressions of the digital value keys each are operable to adjust a stop to co-operate with a differential gear which thereby enters a value corresponding with the depressed key into a storage device.

This invention relates to an apparatus comprising a drive motor and a drive shaft transmitting the drive of said motor for actuating a driven shaft to move from a zero position to an arrested position, each time when the apparatus is operated, said driven shaft thereby adjusting a result unit, means for resetting said driven shaft to a zero position after said arrested position, as well as at least one function member which is driven when the driven shaft is retained in an arrested position.

An apparatus of this kind can be used in a calculating machine, a cash register, a Weighing device, and similar devices performing computation, as well as for operating a type wheel or head of a typewriter.

It is an object of the present invention to improve this apparatus so that it may operate extremely rapidly and in a reliable manner, and, consisting of relatively few parts, may be cheaply manufactured and occupies only little space.

An apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that there is provided a transmission mechanism between said drive shaft and said driven shaft which, after the arrestment of the driven shaft, transmits the driving action of said drive shaft to at least one function member, there being provided neutralizing means which terminate the driving action of said drive shaft on said driven shaft and said function member. According to the invention, said transmission mechanism can include a differential gear, of which a planet wheel, for the purpose of driving said function member, can move in its orbit after overcoming a bias from a member resisting such movement. Said neutralizing means can be associated with a single-stroke clutch; it can also comprise electric contact means in an energizing circuit of said drive motor or of an electromagnetic clutch or of said single-stroke clutch, if the latter is operated electromagnetically, and/or constitute means which block the motor either upon or without the latter being switched off, and further be coordinated with said resetting means so that the disengagement or the deenergizing of the drive and/ or blocking of the motor coincides with the driven shaft taking up a zero position.

Such electric contact means can be operated or driven by, or mounted on, said driven shaft for the latter, turning away after being released from its arrested position, to effect the breaking of the contact upon reaching a zero position.

The neutralizing mechanism can also function as an energizing mechanism in the operation of the apparatus.

Some embodiments of a part of the apparatus will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying, diagrammatic drawings.

In said drawings,

FIG. 1 shows main parts of the mechanism of one embodiment, partly in side elevation and in cross-section; 1

FIG. 2 shows separate contact means of the neutralizing mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view on the line III-- III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows, separately, a unlocking mechanism associated with the mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an axial view of a detail of the mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an axial view of some parts of the drive means in a different embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the differential gear; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of still another embodiment of the differential gear.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1, forming part of a calculating machine, has a drive shaft 1 which is driven by an electric motor 2. Mounted on the drive shaft 1 is the sun wheel 3 of a differential gear 4. The sun wheel 3 is in, engagement with the planet wheel 5 of the differential gear, which in turn is in engagement with internal teeth of the differential gear housing 6. The planet wheel 5 is mounted for rotation on a holder 7, rotatable about the drive shaft 1. Mounted on the holder 7 is a pinion 8, which serves for actuating means for performing functions. The hub of the holder 7 is connected with a helical spring 10, tending to retain the holder 7 against a stop 11, and resisting movement of the planetwheel 5 in its orbit.

The differential gear housing 6 is connected through an intermediate shaft 9 to a part of a friction clutch 12, which serves for safeguarding the apparatus upon the occurrence of breakdown.

The other part of the friction clutch 12 is connected to a shaft 13, which can be driven from the drive shaft 1 through the differential gear 4 and the friction clutch 12. Slidable on the driven shaft 13, in any manner known per se, is an entry wheel 14 which can be connected to totalling wheels 15 and read-out wheels 16. The totalling wheels 15 and the readout-wheels 16 are mounted on shafts journalled in arms 18 and 19 pivoted to the machine frame indicated at 17.

The apparatus has a keyboard including nine keys 20, one of which is shown in FIG. 1. Each of the keys 20, when operated, brings a stop 21 into the path of an abutrnent 22 mounted on the driven shaft 13. The stops 21 are uniformly spaced along an arc of a circle and slidably mounted in slots of a fixed disk 23 shown in elevation in FIG. 5 through which disk the shaft 13 passes freely.

answers I When a key 20 is impressed, such key moves its associated stop 21 in the disk 23 into the path of the abutment 22. At the same time a recess 24 of the key 20 comes opposite a blocking rod 25 which extends along a number of keys. As a result the key 20 is blocked. Associated with the key 20 is further a dog 26 which comes into contact with a dog 27 of a spring-biased rod 28, thereby displacing the latter to close a contact 80, which thereby connects the wires 81, 82 of the energizing circuit of the motor 2. After the motor 2 has been switched on, the shaft 13 is driven from the shaft 1 through the differential gear 4 and the friction clutch 12 until the abutment 22 contacts the displaced stop 21, which blocks the driven shaft 13. The shaft 13 has then turned through a part of one revolution corresponding with the actuated key 20. One of the totalling wheels 15 and one of the read-out wheels 16 have previously been coupled to the entry wheel 14 before the actuation of the shaft 13 so that when, upon the operation of a key 20, the shaft 13 is actuated the entry wheel 14 moves the totalling wheel 15 and the read-out wheel 16 through the angle corresponding with the operated key 20.

After the shaft 13 has been blocked, so that the differential gear housing 6 is prevented from rotating as well, the drive shaft 1 continues to rotate the sun wheel so that the planet wheel rolls along the internal teeth of the differential gear housing, and the holder 7 of the planet wheel 5 is turned. This rotates the pinion 8 mounted on said holder, which in turn, through a transmission gear 31, drives a pinion 32 mounted on a function shaft 33, so that this shaft is driven by the holder 7.

When the function shaft 33 is driven it rotates the rod element 34, rotatable about this shaft, out of the position shown in FIG. 3 through a unidirectional clutch 30 mounted on the shaft, thereby levering the arms 18 and 19 apart against the action of spring means (not shown) by means of the pivoted intermediate rods 35 and 36, so that the entry wheel 14 is disengaged from, and moved out of reach of, the totalling wheels 15 and read-out wheels 16. The arms 18 and 19 are locked in their spreadapart position by pawl means (not shown), which are disengaged upon the next operation of a key 20. By means likewise driven by the function shaft 33, but not shown in the drawings, the entry wheel can then be moved one step further in axial direction. Next the function shaft 33 rotates further to move the locking rod 25 from its locking position through the means shown separately in FIG. 4, thereby releasing the key 20. For this purpose the function shaft is provided with a bevel gear 37, which is in engagement with a bevel 39 mounted on the shaft 38. Also mounted on the shaft 38 is a cam 40, which is capable of pivoting the rod 42 to move the locking rod 25 out of its locking position, the rod 42 being pivotally supported in the frame and being biased by a reset spring 41. The key 20 then returns into its initial position through the action of a spring not shown, thereby releasing the stop 21 for the latter to return into is initial position likewise under the action of a spring.

This releases the abutment 22, so that the shaft 13 is unlocked and can rotate further, while at the same time the spring returns the planet gear holder 7, and hence the planet gear, into the stop position dictated by the stop 11, and the function shaft 33 is turned back too. The entry wheel 14 is not brought into engagement with one of the read-out wheels 16 and one of the totalling wheels until after a next operation of a key has released the pawl means retaining the arms 18 and 19.

Connected in the circuit 81, 82, in parallel with the switch 80, is the switch 83 shown in FIG. 2. Mounted on the shaft 13 is a cam disk 84 of insulating material, which operates contact fingers 85, 86. When the shaft 13 reaches the zero position the tracer 87 on the end of the finger 86 falls into the recess 88 of the disk 84, which also opens the parallel switch 83 after the release of the key 20 has caused the opening of the switch 80. The motor 2, which ise constructed as a self-braking motor, stops immediately when the current is broken, so that the shaft 13 remains in the zero position until by a next operation of a key 20 the switch is again closed; after some rotation of the shaft 13 the switch 83 is closed as well and, after the shaft 13 has been unlocked and the switch 80 again been opened, entirely takes over the conduction of current, and break it again in the zero position of the shaft 13.

Since the above switches switch the motor on and ofi? directly, the construction is simple. It is also possible to arrange the switches to close and break the circuit of an electromagnetic clutch or of electromagnetic means for controlling a mechanical clutch.

It is also possible for the drive of the shaft 13 and its return into its zero position to be controlled by me chanical means without recourse to an additional switch. For this purpose, for example, the shaft 13 is divided at the location of the switch 83 (which is then omitted), and the parts of the shaft are interconnected by means of a single-stroke dog clutch. Upon the actuation of the rod 28, the latter, suitably designed for this purpose, withdraws a pawl which releases an axially spring-biased half of the single-stroke dog clutch for it to come into engagement with the other half of the clutch. Then the rod 28 switches on the motor 2. When, after the shaft 13 has been unlocked, the single-stroke clutch reaches the end of its single revolution, the spring-urged half of the clutch contacts a bevel cam to be uncoupled thereby and again retained by the above-mentioned pawl.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the stops 21 are distributed over substantially 360. It may be of advantage to select two or more completely functioning sectors per 360, so that the shaft 13 can assume several zero positions. In that case, the shaft 13, after reaching an arrested position, re-assumes a zero position without itself being rotated further or back, solely by a change in the relative positions in the whole mechanism as a result of the displacements of the function means which are effected after the arrestment. During the successive operations, the shaft is then only displaced from one arrested position to the next, so that the arrested position of one operating cycle is the zero or initial position of the next. One function of the function means is then to cooperate with the neutralizing means. Instead of the planet gear holder being springbiased, it may cooperate with a friction means or a pawl means or any other bias means to ensure that the function means are always operated after the drive of the shaft 13 to the arrested position. Also, in this embodiment the planet wheel is not returned to a stop position. This embodiment may also be of interest, for example, for the control of a type head of a typewriter.

FIG. 6 illustrates several parts which can be used for realizing such an embodiment.

In FIG. 6, the planet gear holder 57, which corresponds with the planet gear holder 7 in FIG. 1, is provided with a three-armed star cam 60, the periphery of which can be traced under bias from the spring 63, by a roller cam 62 carried by an arm 61 pivotally mounted in the frame. symmetrically between each pair of adjacent arms of the star cam 60, the latter has an extra recess 64. When the roller cam 62 engages in a recess 64, it exercises an arresting effect on the star cam 60. The strength of the spring 63 is such that this arresting effect is sufiicient to retain the planet gear holder 57 when the driven shaft (13 in FIG. 1) can follow the rotation of the differential gear housing 56 the latter being driven from the motor shaft through a sun wheel and the planet wheel 55 and '56 being only partly shown in FIG. 6. As soon as the the driven shaft is retained by a stop actuated by a key, the planet wheel 55 rolls along the inside of the differential gear housing, thereby turning the planet gear holder 57 with the gear 58 mounted thereon, about the motor shaft 51. The gear 58 drives a function shaft, through gearing not shown, which function shaft can perform the same functions as described in respect of the function shaft 33 shown in FIG. 1. The arrangement is such that the required functions have been performed before the roller cam 62 reaches the next recess 6'4. As the roller cam '62 reaches the recess 64, the function shaft unlocks the arrestment of the actuated key, which also opens the contact which had been actuated by this keyto close the circuit of the self-braking motor. It is also possible to use the pivoting movement of the arm 61 for performing certain functions.

Instead of a star cam 60, there may be used a round disk with the recesses 64 formed in the periphery thereof, which recesses, owing to their arresting effect, accurately determine the arrested or zero positions in the mech-' amsm.

Alternatively, there may be used a truly round disk without recesses, the roller cam 62 being replaced by a friction element. The force of the spring 63 is then such that the friction element retains this disk, and hence the planet gear holder 57, until the driven shaft is retained by a stop actuated by a key, whereafter the motor, overcoming the friction on the disk, causes the planet gear holder, and hence the function shaft, to rotate until the latter, as its last function, de-energizes or disengages the motor. The entry wheel 14 is then still in a rotary position, determined by the active stop, suitable for cooperation with the wheels and 16, which is at the same time the initial position for the next operating cycle. The release of the actuated key and the active stop, in this position, is then effected immediately after, or simultaneously with the stoppage of the motor or the breaking of a drive connection of the motor, for example, because of a spring-urged operating member of a parallel circuit, such as the mem- *ber 86, being connected with a pawl member, such as the locking rod in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows, as a modification of the apparatus according to the invention, a differential gear having bevel gears. The gears 73, 75, and 76 correspond with wheels 3, 5 and 6, respectively, shown in FIG. 1 a difference being that the transmission ratio between the motor shaft and the driven shaft is 1:1, so that a lower speed motor can be used.

FIG. 8 illustrates another modification of differential gearing between a drive shaft 91 and a driven shaft, or an intermediate shaft 92, if so required. The bevel sun wheel 93, mounted on the shaft 91, is in engagement with two planet wheels 92, which are mounted on a spindle 97 extending transversely through, and fixedly mounted in, the shaft 92 and acting as a planet gear holder. Connected with the planet wheels 95 are straight gears 94, which are each in engagement with an axially extending ratchet 96. The ratchet 96 are fixedly connected with a sleeve 98, slidably mounted on the shaft 92, and are locked from rotation relative to the shaft 92 by a guide pin 100 engaging in a slot 99. The sleeve 98 is biased towards the shaft 91 by a spring 101. The spring 101 is mounted between an arm 102 of the sleeve 98 and an arm 103 of a sleeve 105 rotatable about the shaft 91 and bearing against a collar 104 thereof. By virtue of the tension of the spring 101, the parts 91 up to and including 105 will not move relative to each other when the shaft 91 rotates, and the shaft 91 will drive the shaft 92 until the stop actuated by an operated key restrains the shaft 92 from rotation, so that the planet wheels are also restrained from rotation about the axis of the shafts 91, 92. The gear 93 then causes the gears 94, 95 to rotate about their own shafts, as a result of which they displace the ratchets 96 and hence the sleeve 98 axially, the sleeve 98 driving, for example, a lever 107 for the latter to perform functions, the lever 107 being pivoted at 106.

When the required functions only require small relative movements of the differential gear elements in the mechanism shown in FIG. 8, onlysmall peripheral sectors of the gears 93-95 are active, so that the complete gear wheels 93-95 can be replaced by gear wheel sectors of a small sector-angle. In many cases such sectors can be formed as pivoting arms, acting with small angular displacements with their ends on each other or on the elements 96. Since their effect is similar, such pivoting arms, like the sun wheel and the planet wheels, then form elements of a differential gear.

The differential gear wheels, shown as toothed wheels, can also take the form of friction wheels.

I claim:

1. A key-operated setting device for use in calculating, registering, weighing, typing and like machines, comprising a plurality of keys, a drive motor, a drive shaft connected to said motor, a driven shaft, transmission means between said drive shaft and said driven shaft for selectively coupling said shafts, arresting means, register means, resetting means and a control member, said arresting means being adapted to be actuated by said keys to arrest said driven shaft in an arrestment position corresponding with the actuated key, said driven shaft being driven by said drive shaft from a zero position to said arrestment position to adjust said register means, said resetting means re-establishing zero position of said driven shaft after the arrival of the latter in said arrestment position, said transmission means being adapted to transmit the driving action of said drive shaft to said control member to move it on arrestment of said driven shaft in said arrestment position, the movement of said control member bringing about the neutralizing of said arresting means, and neutralizing means to terminate the driving-action of said drive shaft on re-establishment of zero-position of said driven shaft.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which said transmission means comprises a differential gearing having a planet wheel, movable mounting means mounting said planet wheel movably therewith in an orbit, a loading element biasing said mounting means to resist movement thereof, said mounting means being drivingly connected with said control member to move it after overcoming the bias of said loading element.

3. A device according to claim 2, in which said loading element is a spring means.

4. A device according to claim 2, in which said loading element is a cam means.

5. A device according to claim 2, in which said loading element is a friction means.

6. A device according to claim 1, in which said transmission means further comprises a displacing member, a loading element loading said displacing member with an arresting bias, said displacing member being arranged upon said arrestment of said driven shaft, after overcoming said bias, to perform a relative displacement and thereby actuate said control member.

7. A device according to claim 1, in which said transmission means further comprises mounting means mounting co-operating elements, a loading element biasing said mounting means and co-operating elements to a predetermined position relative to each other to be rotatable as a fixed unit with said drive shaft driving said driven shaft, the driving action of said drive shaft, upon said arrestment of said driven shaft overcoming the bias of said loading element and moving said co-operating elements relatively to each other, one of said co-operating elements thereby moving axially with respect to one of said shafts to actuate said control member.

8. A device according to claim 7, in which said cooperating elements are differential gearing elements including a rack element which is axially displaceable with respect to one of said shafts against the bias of said loading element.

9. A device according to claim 1, in which the'arrestment position reached by said driven shaft during one operating cycle coincides with the zero position of said driven shaft in the next operating cycle.

10. A device according to claim 1, in which blocking means-are provided to block said driven shaft immediately after the operation of said neutralizing means.

11. A device according to claim 1, in which blocking means are provided to deenergize said drive motor immediately after the operation of said neutralizing means.

12. A device according to claim 1, comprising an electric energizing circuit, said neutralizing means comprising electric contact means adapted to break said circuit.

13. A device according to claim 1, in which said neutralizing means are coordinated with said resetting means.

14. A device according to claim 12, in which at least one electric contact means of said neutralizing means is responsive to an element orbiting in synchronism with said driven shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner. S. A. WAL, Assistant Examiner. 

